Andries Strauss

Andries Strauss

Full name	Andries Jacobus Strauss
Date of birth	(1984-03-05) 5 March 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth	Pretoria, South Africa
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	97 kg (214 lb; 15 st 4 lb)
School	Grey College
Notable relative(s)	Richardt Strauss (brother) Adriaan Strauss (cousin)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre Youth career 2003–2005 Free State Cheetahs Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2004–2005 Free State Cheetahs 8 (10) 2006–2010 Sharks 22 (5) 2006–2010 Sharks (Currie Cup) 80 (80) 2011–2012 Cheetahs 18 (15) 2011–2012 Free State Cheetahs 18 (20) 2013 Southern Kings 14 (0) 2013 Eastern Province Kings 0 (0) 2014–2016 Edinburgh 49 (10) Correct as of 21 June 2016 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2003 South Africa Schools 2004 South Africa Under-19 2004 South Africa Under-21 2 (0) 2007 South Africa Sevens 2010 South Africa 1 (0) Correct as of 23 February 2013

Andries Strauss born 5 March 1984 in Pretoria, South Africa is a former rugby union player that played as a centre.[1][2]

Career

Free State Cheetahs

After playing for the Free State Under-20 side in 2003, he was included in the senior side for the 2004 Vodacom Cup competition and made his debut for them in a match against the Falcons.[3] He made his Currie Cup debut for the team later in 2004 against the SWD Eagles.[4] He remained with the Bloemfontein-based side until the end of the 2005 season, before moving to Durban to join the Sharks.

Sharks

He made his Super Rugby debut in the Sharks', starting in opening match of the 2006 Super 14 season against the Chiefs.[5] He quickly established himself as a regular, starting twelve of the Sharks' matches during the season.

He represented the teams at all levels – playing for the Sharks at Super Rugby level in 2006, 2008 and 2009, domestically for the Sharks in the Currie Cup between 2006 and 2010 and for the Natal Wildebeest in the 2007 and 2008 Vodacom Cup competitions, making in excess of one hundred appearances for the team at those various levels.

Return to the Cheetahs

In August 2010, Strauss signed a deal with the Cheetahs for the 2011 Super 15 season, due to the departure of Cheetahs centre Meyer Bosman who joined the Sharks the next season.[6] In 2011 and 2012 Strauss made almost 40 appearances for the Cheetahs in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup and also played with his cousin Adriaan Strauss during this time.

Kings

He joined the Southern Kings for the 2013 Super Rugby season.[7] He made his Kings debut in their first-ever Super Rugby match in 2013, a 22–10 victory over Australian side the Force.[8] He started thirteen of their sixteen matches during the season – most of them as captain following an injury to regular captain Luke Watson. However, Strauss broke his hand towards the end of the campaign and missed the 2013 Super Rugby promotion/relegation play-offs, which saw the Lions gain entry into the 2014 Super Rugby season at the Kings' expense. He also missed the entire 2013 Currie Cup First Division season with the same injury.

Edinburgh

He signed for Scottish side Edinburgh Rugby at the start of 2014, tying him to the club until 2016.[9] His first points for the club came during a Pro12 encounter with Cardiff Blues the following November.[10]

Representative rugby

In November 2010, after an injury to stand-in full-back and centre Zane Kirchner, Strauss received a call-up to play for the Springboks to face a star-studded Barbarians side at Twickenham in a non-test match.[11][12] Although it was a non-test match, this thus far, is his only appearance for the national team.

At youth level, he played for the South Africa Under-21 side, playing two matches for them in the 2004 Under 21 Rugby World Championship. He also represented the South Africa Sevens side during the 2006–07 IRB Sevens World Series competition.

Personal life

Strauss is the brother of Irish international hooker Richardt Strauss, as well as the cousin for South African international hooker Adriaan Strauss.

References

1. "SA Rugby Player Profile – Andries Strauss". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
2. "It's Rugby Player Profile Andries Strauss". It's Rugby. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
3. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Cheetahs 91–24 Falcons". South African Rugby Union. 20 March 2004. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
4. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Cheetahs 32–15 Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 11 September 2004. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
5. "SA Rugby Match Centre – The Sharks 30–21 Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 11 February 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
6. "More signing for Cheetahs". Sport24. 17 August 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
7. "Southern Kings snap up Strauss for Super Rugby". rugbyweek.com. 13 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
8. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Southern Kings 22–10 Force". South African Rugby Union. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
9. "Stalwart Super Rugby centre signs to 2016". Edinburgh Rugby (Press release). 5 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
10. "Edinburgh Rugby (Andries Strauss) | Edinburgh Rugby". Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
11. "Andries Strauss drafted in by Springboks". ESPN. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
12. "Barbarians 26–20 South Africa". BBC. 4 December 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2013.